Some of the reasons......

I know I said this blog was going to be about me and not the kids, but I think this entry is really about me too, even though it involves them! Did that make any sense at all? Oh well, in my mind it did...hahaha
Anyway, I have been feeling really blessed the past little while, well, I have always felt this way when it comes to my kids and my hubby, but sometimes, it just stands out more for whatever reason. So, it just makes my heart smile when I watch my kids and hear some of the things they say. It makes me so thankful to be able to stay home with them and now that we are a home schooling family, I am blessed more and more to have all the time with them instead of missing out on all those minutes during the day that they were away from me. It always reminds me why I wanted so badly to be a mama, and why I am doing JUST that, being a mama and raising my kids!! I hope and pray that I can raise them to be amazing people who truly love God and strive to live according to His will. I pray they always feel love and support and know that I am always here for them. I pray that they always see Christ's love in me. I thought I would just share some of the little things they have done lately to make me smile and to remind me exactly why I am doing what I am doing.....

It makes sense to go in order, so first Aaron, my teenager, yes, I said that, I have a teenager!! How that happened so fast, I don't know. It has been a fun journey with him to say the least. Aaron has a really fun and quirky personality and can ALWAYS make me laugh. I never know what kind of antic he will perform next. I must say, it is really hard to be stern with him when I am laughing!! He is so outgoing and fun and can strike up a conversation with anyone. It makes me so proud when people come to me and tell me what a great kid he is. He is well known by all the neighbors for always being friendly and talking. He has a good head on his shoulders and makes me proud ( most of the time) with how he handles himself and certain situations. No, he is not perfect, and yes, he has done some crazy things that I am not so proud of, but even then, he usually handles things in a mature way and faces the consequences that come with making poor decisions. I love seeing him playing with the younger kids and taking special interest in the things they like. For example, he will make it a point to play with just Momo or just Ian and even does this with the little boys across the street. Then, watching Aaron and Kristen ( when they decide they like each other!!) interact. I love the bond they have. Yes, they fight and argue and are normal siblings but they do have a special bond and I know, they would stand up for each other in an instant.
Speaking of Kristen, she is my mini me...yes, the good and the bad!! HAHAH, I know I just wrote an entire blog about her just the other day but I have to say it again. She is just so much like me, sometimes it is scary! I love it though. Watching her is like watching myself grow up all over again. The only thing different is she is NOT shy like I was, she is also, like Aaron, very outgoing and talkative. She loves to be in the center of everything and doesn't want to "miss" anything. She has a heart of gold and is extremely sensitive. She has a special bubbly personality that can make a gloomy day be bright and full of sunshine. She is my beautiful butterfly!! She loves helping out when she can (well, most of the time) and is ALWAYS offering to do anything for others. She has made me so proud with her caring ways and giving heart. I know one day she will make a wonderful wife and mother.
Next come Morgan, my Momo monkey. What can I say, she is my little miracle that I am so thankful for every day. I don't know what I would have done if we had lost her. Her strong personality and determination, although trying at times, are an inspiration to me. She is a unique little girl and I know she will accomplish everything she sets her mind to as she becomes a woman. She is so spunky and makes me smile with her little musings and things she says. The other day she was riding with me to pick Randy up from work and she wanted me to give her some simple addition problems to answer while we were riding, so I was and she was working them out (counting on her fingers) and giving me the answers. I started really simple.....2 plus 2 .......problems like that. Well, she would hold up 2 fingers on one hand and then 2 on the other hand. I worked up to 6 plus 2...she got quiet for a minute and I could see her in the rear view mirror.....I could tell she was thinking......then she said, but Mama, I only have 2 hands, you can't do that one...she had to use both hands to hold up 6 fingers....and didn't have another hand to add the 2 fingers!! It was so funny. Then again one morning she rode with me to take Randy to work, it is still dark when we left and she asked if Papa ALWAYS went to work that *late*. We were trying to tell her it was early and not late, but she insisted it was *late* because it was dark outside!! By the time we got home and had seen the sunrise on the way home, I had her convinced it was in fact early and not late. The little things like these that I get to experience being home with the kids every day is what reminds me how blessed I really am. What a loss it would be to miss out on all these things that to some may be nothing, but to me, mean so so much.
Last but certainly not least is my little man, Ian, my last baby, my sweet little boy. He has been such a blessing to me. I felt our family was complete when I held him in my arms for the first time. He came to us during such a sad time in our lives and was that little bit of sunshine and hope I needed to keep me going on. I know it may sound crazy...( but I am crazy remember)...but I couldn't help but think, that in my mama losing her life here on earth, he was given life, in order to help me through a dark time. Knowing I was pregnant with him is what kept me going when Mom died. It was sort of like, he was my link to her in a strange sort of way. I don't really know how to explain it better than that. He is so cute and sweet and brings so much joy, as do all of the kids. He has a great personality and I love watching him grow and learn. Hearing him talking more and more everyday and always being amazed when he says something new just brightens my days and can always make me smile. Even when he lets me know exactly how I sound sometimes when he mimics me....Yesterday for instance, he was sitting at the table drinking some water when he knocked his cup over and spilled some. He sounded JUST like me when he he grumbled...."AAARRGGGHHHHHHH, made a mess!! I was thinking to myself...."OH MY, so that is what I sound like when I get aggravated with the messes...." It is enough to make you stop and think before you let things slip out of your mouth for sure!!! He can always make my heart melt with his big green eyes and bring a smile when I am having a bad day with his kisses and hugs. He is my little man.
I thank God everyday for allowing me to be a mama to these four miracles. I hope and pray that I can be the mother God wants me to be. I pray that I can be a good example of God's love to them. They are my world and my heart......